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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27623360">Promise</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/andlucyy/pseuds/andlucyy'>andlucyy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>That was Then This is Now - S. E. Hinton, The Outsiders - All Media Types</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Confessions, Fluff, Forbidden Love, M/M, Sneaking Around</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 16:35:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,110</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27623360</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/andlucyy/pseuds/andlucyy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>All day he’d been thinking of him, wishing that he could hold his hand, see his face for real, feel the warmth he did when he was around him, not the shitty, empty, loneliness he felt when he wasn’t. He missed him so much it hurt; the one downside of being with Pony was not being with him. </p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ponyboy Curtis/Curly Shepard</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>44</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>Take A Gander Down To Tulsa (Purly)</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Promise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hi it's been a while. um. I'm kinda rusty sorry :/ i hope you enjoy this &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Curly strummed his fingers against the steering wheel of Tim’s car. He was understandably antsy, idling outside the Curtis house at eleven at night for no apparent reason. If anyone saw him, chances were word would get back to Tim, and he was supposed to be in bed because it was a ‘school night’, like Tim got more than five hours of sleep ever. Why he had suddenly started caring about that kinda stuff was a mystery to Curly. Sometimes, it felt like people deliberately made rules just to antagonise him, like Darry Curtis and his ‘no going out with Curly cause he’s a bad influence’ shit. It was a completely unfair judgement, at least to him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Most of the time, when people said that stuff about him, Curly brushed it off; he’d gotten used to it coming out of the mouth of every soc and teacher and cop he met. It was expected at this point, but when it was Darry Curtis saying it, who knew what extents people like them needed to go to just to survive, it stung. There was a difference between someone observing your life from afar and someone living your life talking shit about what you did. He hated thinking about what Darry had said to Pony about him, even though it was likely that he wouldn’t care or change anything.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The light in Pony’s bedroom was on. Curly chewed on his bottom lip and felt an aching yearn in the pit of his stomach. God, he really wanted to see Pony. All day he’d been thinking of him, wishing that he could hold his hand, see his face for real, feel the warmth he did when he was around him, not the shitty, empty, loneliness he felt when he wasn’t. He missed him so much it hurt; the one downside of being with Pony was not being with him. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pressing down then releasing the brake pedal, Curly debated whether to make a move or leave. Chances were, Pony wasn’t going to see him out of pure coincidence; he needed to actively try and get his attention, something he’d be exceptional at if he wasn’t running the risk of death forever if he got caught by Soda or Darry. However, if he didn’t go, no Pony. He ache in the pit of his stomach worsened. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Fuck it.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Curly got out of the car and crossed the road towards the house. He felt his heart pounding against his ribcage. Adrenaline rushed through his body as he snuck around. The mixture of the forbidden element and the thought of seeing Ponyboy made it even better. Call him dramatic, because he was, but he secretly loved grand romantic gestures and star-crossed love. He remembered watching West Side Story with his mom and Angela when he was ten or eleven and imagining what it would be like if he loved someone like Tony and Maria loved each other. The glitter in their eyes as they gazed at each other from across the dance floor, the tenderness and passion of their kiss, the sorrow and pain of their separation, that was all Curly wanted. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The fence gate shut quietly as he crept around the side of the house. He remembered the number of times he’d clambered out of Pony’s bedroom window so they wouldn’t get caught fooling around together. It made him laugh but wince at the same time. The consequences of them getting caught were almost too serious to jest about, but he found a way, as he always did. It was better to make it into a joke than sit around all serious and stoic worrying about it. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Curly peered into the bedroom. Pony was reading on his bed, thankfully alone. He rapped on the glass, a smile growing on his face. He was so close, Curly wondered whether just breaking the glass would be faster. Pony jumped at the sudden noise but looked visibly relieved at the sight of him. In a swift motion, he got up and opened the window, practically dragging Curly in by the collar of his shirt. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Happy to see me?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pony rolled his eyes, juxtaposing the blush on his face. “Shut up.” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Curly grinned and placed his hand on the warm face in front of him. Pony leaned into his touch and closed his eyes. Curly’s heart swelled at the sight of it. There was something about their relationship that made it the best part of Curly’s life. Maybe it was the vulnerability that they could afford to show around each other in a life that was all about keeping up a tough image, which they both knew that wasn’t what either of them wanted in life; maybe it was just the plain all-consuming adoration they felt for each other, the feeling of just wanting to kiss every part of Pony’s body and just </span>
  <em>
    <span>be</span>
  </em>
  <span> with him; or maybe it was the connection they found in all the chaos that was their lives intertwined. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I missed you,” Pony hummed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you,” Curly replied immediately, almost instinctively. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Pony’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open slightly in bewilderment. “Are you being serious?” he spluttered. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“No, I’m fucking with you,” Curly said sarcastically, in turn rolling his eyes. </span>
</p><p> </p><p><span>He didn’t know what about the moment made him want to finally admit his undying love for Ponyboy, but now that he’d actually said it out loud, he felt like he could scream it at the top of his lungs and he wouldn’t care who heard.</span> <span>He loved Ponyboy Curtis. He </span><em><span>loved </span></em><span>him, for real. No one thought Curly Shepard would ever fall in love, certainly not himself. He used to fear that he’d never fall in love, never experience the one true beauty of life. All the hoping, the pining, the wishing for something better, for something real in life would all be for nothing. He knew then, however, that it was all for that moment. </span></p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Looking back, he didn’t know why he’d been so hesitant to being serious about Pony. He wasn’t afraid of falling or hurting or dying anymore. He couldn’t even remember what it felt like to not be in love with him. The only thing he felt was Pony’s lips crashing into his, and undeniable, unconditional love. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“I love you,” Pony whispered as he kissed every part Curly’s face, repeating the phrase every time he pulled away. Every touch set off a wonderful sparkling feeling on Curly’s skin, and he thought he might die hearing the words come out of Pony’s mouth. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Curly pressed his forehead to Pony’s. “I’ll love you till the day I die, Ponyboy.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Promise?” </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“Promise.” </span>
</p><p><br/>
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